Page 41 of Love By a Landslide

Wise man that he was, Jonathan kept his lips zipped and began reloading everything that Lucy had unloaded into his bag.

She nodded with satisfaction and washed one of the two pills down with a swig of his water bottle. Fortunately, her empty one lay at their feet; an obnoxious sunshine sticker with a face smiled back at her, the words “positive vibes” scrawled in cheery script.

Fate, for once, was on her side because next to the Nalgene sat the pork jerky. “Small miracles,” Lucy mumbled and snatched up the bag.

Lucy was shocked by how light her step was for the remainder of the day. The fallen pack belonged to the mountain goats now, meaning she had much less to lug around. As far as silver linings go, it was thin, but she’d take what she could get.

The pair hadn’t stuck around too much longer after the mishap. They snacked a bit more—acutely aware of their reduced rations now that Lucy’s cache was gone—then forged on.

The afternoon waned as the two weary travelers came upon a small clearing. Butted up against the bottom of a rock ledge and surrounded partly by sturdy trees, the setting had a familiar feel. It was reminiscent of the campsite along the original trail minus the creek.

Jonathan stopped and placed his hands on his hips as he surveyed the area. Lucy took advantage of the pause to drink some water. The temperature had risen enough to dry out the mud, making the arrival of summer more apparent. Despite the torrential downpour the day before, the ground beneath their feet was dusty between ragged shards of granite. Each step kicked up small plumes behind them. The buzz of crickets added to the distinct seasonal feel.

“Home sweet home,” Jonathan conceded, releasing the buckles on his bag.

“We’re stopping?” Lucy asked. “For the night?”

“Yep.” He slid his pack from his shoulders and lowered it to the ground one-handed, forearm flexed and glistening with sweat.

Lucy watched him with intensity. Aside from breakfast, the moment he rolled up his sleeves that afternoon had been the highlight of her day. “But I still have energy. We could keep going. Get us closer to civilization.”

“I’m sure hiking without any cargo is delightful, but I’m having a different experience over here.” He placed a hand on either side of his lower back and arched, lifting his chest to the sky.A relieved groan passed his lips after his spine popped and cracked a few times. The stretching lifted his shirt, allowing Lucy glimpses of tanned skin pulled tight over well-cultivated muscle.

Flashes from the night before teased through her mind. Jonathan in nothing but hiking boots and tight undies, brandishing a hatchet like her own Chippendale hero. The scene played out in her thoughts a few times during their journey. Each time she imagined a different variation. Sometimes she made the move; other times, he closed the distance and enveloped her in his nearly nude warmth. But every fantasy ended the same way: Sex . . . with her grumpy guide.

Lucy swallowed to keep from drooling all over herself as the Adonis in question turned to face her.

“Think you can manage?” Jonathan asked, sounding slightly perturbed.

“Huh?” Shit. He must have been talking while she was shamelessly objectifying him. You’re better than that, O’Malley, she berated herself. “Sorry, I was . . . lost in thought.” She shrugged with a self-deprecating smile.

“What I was saying was that we’ll set up camp like we did yesterday. You handle shelter, and I will get a fire and dinner going. Can you manage that?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure thing.” Lucy turned and instinctively went for her pack. It took her a second to remember that she didn’t have one anymore and let out a blustering gasp worthy of any telenovela.

Startled, Jonathan leaped to his feet. “What happened?”

“My tent.”

Realizing she wasn’t in danger, the guide’s shoulders relaxed. “What about it?”

“I don’t have it anymore,” Lucy said, hoping he would realize on his own that the math didn’t add up. There were two of themand one hammock. Was he going to make her sleep outside? Were they going to share? Heat crawled up her neck and splayed over her cheeks.

Jonathan rapidly blinked and scoffed. “Wow, you really weren’t listening a minute ago, were you?”

Reaching up, he dragged two fingers across his stubbly jaw. Lucy watched, transfixed, eyes trailing down his wrist to that forearm of his.

Damn it! Focus!

She popped her eyes back up.

“We’re going to share the hammock. It won’t be the most comfortable setup, but it’ll be the safest. Did you think I was going to make you sleep on the ground?” Twinkling amber eyes lit up Jonathan’s handsome face. He pursed his lips while one thick eyebrow quirked up in question.

Good god, he was sexy. Butterflies fluttered in Lucy’s stomach and made their way lower. She was going to be sharing a bed with her guide. With Jonathan. The man who saved her life. Twice, if the opossum situation counted, and at that moment, it ticked the right column in Lucy’s book. She had no idea how she was going to manage sleeping while being well and truly pressed against him.

Please, don’t let me make this awkward.

A grin slowly emerged, revealing his straight, white teeth as Jonathan seemed to read her thoughts. “Don’t worry, sunshine. I promise to behave as long as you do the same.”

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